King of the Wilderness

Arthur turned on the projection, and a clear river appeared on the screen.

"Sir, the ecosystem of the Giant Stone River is one of its most precious assets. The core of protecting this asset lies in combating invaders."

"Lake trout and stream trout?" Lin Yu’an calmly inquired.

A glint of approval flashed in Arthur’s eyes: "Exactly. You see, throughout the Western United States, these two invasive species are aggressively encroaching on the native cutthroat trout’s habitat."

"They either prey on juvenile cutthroat trout or interbreed with them, polluting the pure bloodline. Yellowstone National Park spends millions of US Dollars annually to control them, but with little effect."

"The Giant Stone River is one of the few sanctuaries within the entire ecosystem recognized as an absolute no-go zone for invasive species."

"This is thanks to Mr. Hunter’s establishment of an active defense and eradication system."

"First, a selective fish ladder was constructed at the confluence of the Giant Stone River and downstream public waters."

"This fish ladder is ingeniously designed to allow only native fish like the jumping cutthroat trout to migrate upstream."

"Invasive species like lake trout, which are not good at jumping, are physically blocked outside. This is our first Great Wall."

"Secondly, a small number of stream trout or hybrid trout fry will still seep in through streams and other means."

"Therefore, a professional electrofishing team is hired annually in the fall to conduct an ecological sweep of certain river sections."

"They use specialized equipment to temporarily paralyze the fish in the river without harming them."

"Then swiftly remove all non-native, invasive characteristic fish, releasing only pure cutthroat, rainbow, and brown trout back into the water."

"This work is costly and extremely challenging to professional skills, but it is the only way to ensure the purity of the river’s bloodline."

"With the absolute autonomy provided by the Warrior Charter, Mr. Hunter has been able to implement stricter Guardian policies here than in any state government’s public waters."

"Firstly, he fully enforces the catch and release policy here. The ranch rules state that any native trout caught must have the hook removed and be photographed within 2 minutes, and immediately returned to the water."

"Secondly, he only allows the use of barbless fly hooks that do not harm fish, to ensure that fish can survive perfectly after being released."

"Thirdly, to protect the spawning cutthroat trout, parts of the core river sections are completely closed every spring from April to May, prohibiting anyone from entering to fish."

Arthur concluded: "Mr. Hunter firmly believes that this river is a heritage guarded by warriors with their lives a century ago, and he is just a temporary custodian."

"He sees the river as a flowing treasure, the most precious gift left for future generations."

"This guardian philosophy that transcends personal enjoyment is the true reason why this river has maintained its original vitality to this day."

Arthur paused, and the projection screen switched.

The serene flowing river disappeared, replaced by a ranch map filled with sensor markers, patrol routes, and defense matrices.

"And to ensure that all these ideas and rules are not disturbed by external factors and are strictly enforced, an absolutely formidable force is required."

"Sir, I will now report to you the security system that guarantees the existence of all these."

"The reason the Giant Stone River can become a secluded kingdom is that Mr. Hunter established a comprehensive 3-pronged defense and rapid response integrated modern security network here."

"Firstly, there is the smart border and drone patrol; the perimeter of our ranch is about 32 miles (about 51 kilometers)."

"Along all key road sections near public roads and main entrances, about 10 miles long, are high-intensity physical fences and the most advanced vibration fiber-optic sensors."

"For more remote mountain borders, daily routine aerial photography and thermal imaging scans are conducted with two industrial-grade drones capable of long endurance flights to monitor any unusual intrusions."

"Then there is the core area monitoring network; throughout the core living area of the ranch, including the Eagle’s Nest, guest cabins, staff buildings, airport, and along railway lines, etc."

"About 120 HD cameras integrated with thermal imaging and night vision functions are deployed in total, achieving seamless monitoring of core assets, with data being transmitted in real-time to the security center."

"Finally, the most core elite rapid response team; we have a 7-member security team led by Sean O’Connor, a former Navy SEAL member, acting as the security director.

"They operate on a 24-hour shift system, patrolling with modified heavy-duty pickup trucks centered on the core area."

"Once the electronic boundary or monitoring system sends an alert, they can guarantee arrival at any corner of the ranch within fifteen minutes."

"Moreover, everyone holds Wyoming’s highest-level firearms licenses, with arrest authorization equivalent to law enforcement officers within private territory."

"The annual operating cost for this security system, including personnel salaries, equipment maintenance, and system upgrades, was approximately eight hundred thousand US Dollars last year."

"But it is precisely this investment that ensures Mr. Hunter’s rules are strictly enforced."

"They ensure the absolute safety and privacy of all the ranch’s assets, keeping all unnecessary trouble outside the 31,000-acre boundary."